Known to friends and family as Matt Schafer, Kracker is the man behind the turntables in Kid Rock's Twisted Brown Trucker band. Now this kickin' DJ is ready to step out from the decks to take a piece of well-earned spotlight for himself. Produced by Kid Rock and engineered by Mike Bradford (known for his work with Madonna and Anita Baker), Kracker's eponymous Top Dog/Lava/Atlantic debut was recorded on the back of the tour bus during Kid Rock's co-headlining Summer '99 trek with Limp Bizkit. The laidback Yin to Kid Rock's thunderous metal Yang, Kracker serves up a tasty serving of Detroit rock 'n roll stew, blending a little motown, country, southern rock and hip-hop. This diverse musical mix is topped off with the DJ/MC's own flowing, loose-limbed, story-telling raps.

Kid Rock plays the Dr. Dre role as his protege Uncle Kracker is unleashed upon the music world with DOUBLE WIDE. The album opens with a skit in which Rock gives career and "health" advice to a seemingly humble Uncle Kracker, and melts into a world of live instrumentation, old school hip-hop rhyming, and very hot beats.

"Better Days" has Uncle Cracker doing his best ZZ Top/Billy Gibbons, with bluesy, gravelly vocalizing. "Follow Me" has a neo-funky shuffle that evokes bands such as The Getaway People and The Push Stars, while "Heaven" mixes East Coast-inspired beats with a country-flavored chorus that's catchy as hell. "Steaks & Shrimp" offers old-school posturing and rhyming while "Who's Your Uncle?" is surely Uncle Cracker's "Bawitdaba," and his mission statement of domination is clear. "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" features instantly likeable pop choruses and "Aces & 8's" oddly combines techno influences with a C&W flavor. DOUBLE WIDE will most likely take Uncle Cracker from the trailer park to the big stages.